After his first relationship goes disastrously awry, Jeff Blythe uses his savings to tour Europe—the old-fashioned way. Armed with his grandfather’s 1960 copy of Esquire’s Europe in Style, Jeff sets off looking for adventure but finds much, much more than he bargained for…

In London, dodging questions from shady criminals about a mysterious package he most certainly does not have is simple. Losing the gunmen who are convinced he’s someone else is not. And when George, an old friend, offers him help—and a place to stay, and perhaps something more—things become complicated.

Is George really who he seems? And is Jeff finally ready to act on his attraction?

From Paris to Rome and back again, Jeff and George fall for each other, hard, while quite literally running for their lives. But trusting George at his word may leave Jeff vulnerable—in more ways than one.synopsis

Wendy’s Review

Um, I love Josh Lanyon. If there was an author out there that I could convince more people to read it would absolutely be Josh Lanyon, hands down. She has become my favorite M/M writer. I just adore her ability to craft a believable but old fashioned mystery. She is the only M/M cozy mystery writer that I’ve heard of, and she is awesome.

After all that gushing, I now have to admit that Jefferson Blythe, Esquire was not one of my favorites. The romantic part of the story was just too slow, and then by the time I felt like things were taking off the story was over. I also felt like a lot of the plot was just too much too fast. It was one calamity after the other, on a level that felt like it was more comedy than mystery.

It’s more than likely that is exactly what Lanyon was going for, the over the top slap stick type of mystery. It wasn’t bad. It was actually pretty funny at times. It just wasn’t what I look forward to when I read one of Josh Lanyon’s books. I love the smart mystery, and the witty dialogue between the characters which also felt a little like it was missing too. The relationship was stunted, and withdrawn.

What it did have that I loved was a character that was quirky and awkward, but also incredibly loved and treasured by his partner. Jefferson was such a little nerd, but it made him so freaking cute. Maybe I love characters with insecurities because I have insecurities, but characters that aren’t always sure of themselves tend to be the ones that leave an impression on me. Jefferson is that character.

Rating: ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ 1/2 = B-

Thank you to Carina Press and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.